A windy, warm and mostly dry week aided crop maturity for the one ending Sept. 20, according to the Iowa Crop & Weather report, with growers preparing farm equipment for the upcoming harvest.

"The warm and windy weather helped the crop continue to mature, and widespread harvest will likely start in the next week or two," said Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey.

He said National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 20-26, has been "a great reminder to everyone working on the farm or traveling through rural areas to be careful and stay alert during the harvest season."

State Meteorologist Harry Hillaker said, "Temperature extremes varied from afternoon highs of 92 degrees at Burlington and Donnellson on Thursday (Sept. 17), to morning lows of 39 degrees at Sibley on Saturday and 38 degrees at Elkader on Sunday."

The report stated 95 percent of corn was in the dent stage or beyond, with crop condition rated 79 percent good to excellent. Eighty-three percent of soybeans started to turn color or beyond, with 48 percent dropping leaves, and soybean condition is rated 76 percent good to excellent.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 89 percent complete, the report added.

Brian Rohe, central Iowa regional sales manager for Latham Hi-Tech Seeds in Alexander, said on Sept. 23 "most central Iowa farmers are about a week away from harvesting.

"I talked with two farmers who started combining corn Tuesday (Sept. 22) to prevent lodging," he said. "They decided not to wait for the last five to seven points of moisture to come out of this year’s crop. It’s probably in their best interest to get the corn out of the field rather than leaving kernels in the field, if wind or rain events hit."